The invention relates to vehicles, and more particulary to an amphibious bicycle and an attachment to a conventional bicycle, of any of various types and sizes, for making it amphibious.
A wide variety of different types of floating bicycles and float attachments for bicycles have previously been suggested. These apparatus have used various types of propulsion means for the bicycle while in the water, nearly always connected in some fashion to be driven by pedalling. In many of the prior devices, a ruddering device was connected to the front wheel or front wheel steering fork. See, for example, Petroskey U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,239; Vigo U.S. Pat. No. 2,323,261; Payette U.S. Pat. No. 799,667; Hartlett U.S. Pat. No. 839,476; and Munsen U.S. Pat. No. 1,034,278. Petroskey shows a float attachment for a conventional bicycle, connected to the bicycle by means of the front and rear wheel axles. The front wheel of the bicycle is provided with a rudder which is attached to the bottom of the front wheel for water operation, and this rudder has its own steering axis and a cable for operating it rather than being controlled by steering of the handlebars. Propulsion is provided via a separate shaft extending between a rear pair of floats, with paddles on the shaft driven by connection to the rear sprocket of the bicycle. While appearing effective for water operation, the Petroski apparatus did not provide for land operation of the bicycle with the marine apparatus attached, and the floating bicycle was not easily converted back to conventional use.
Vigo disclosed a floating bicycle having circular floats instead of bicycle wheels. A rudder was connected to the front wheel steering fork, operable by use of the handlebars.
Hartlett shows a type of floatable bicycle having paddles connected to the spokes of the rear wheels, for propelling the floating bicycle by means of the pedals. Munsen shows a bicycle intended for amphibious use, having front and rear floats which could be swung upwardly when the bicycle was to be used for land operation.
No previous floating bicycle known to the applicant has been useable on either land or water without adjustment or modification when going from one mode to the other. In addition, no prior device has included a float device which is as easily removable as that of the present invention. Moreover, no prior water bicycle or amphibious bicycle has been as efficient in design as the present invention, taking advantage of the existing components of a bicycle to the extent of the amphibious device described below.